1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to windows that provide high resistance to extreme changes in stress and pressure, and more particularly to windows for submersible and semi-submersible water craft.
2) Description of the Prior Art
An information disclosure statement was filed with the parent application from which this patent arose. The related art to water craft are listed as follows: U.S. Pat. No. 385,656 issued to Belisle on Jul. 3, 1888; U.S. Pat. No. 1,324,880 issued to Cronenberg on Dec. 16, 1919; U.S. Pat. No. 3,240,186 issued to Dobell on Mar. 15, 1966; U.S. Pat. No. 3,254,621 issued to White on Jun. 7, 1966; U.S. Pat. No. 3,667,415 issued to Robbins, Jr. on Jun. 6, 1972; U.S. Pat. No. 3,680,515 issued to Yoneda et al. on Aug. 1, 1972; U.S. Pat. No. 4,411,213 issued to Laukien on Oct. 25, 1983; U.S. Pat. No. 4,423,695 issued to Rougerie on Jan. 3, 1984 (Rougerie I); U.S. Pat. No. 4,494,472 issued to Rougerie on Jan. 22, 1985 (Rougerie II); U.S. Pat. No. 4,565,145 issued to Mayall et al. on Jan. 21, 1986; U.S. Pat. No. 4,854,256 issued to Hayashi on Aug. 8, 1989; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,928,614 issued to Forman on May 29, 1990.
While some of the prior art disclosed glass and acrylic windows for use on submersibles, none disclosed means by which such windows could be fabricated and attached to a ship for strength, impact, and scratch resistance while avoiding hazing and maintaining high light transmittance. Further, the prior art did not mention view windows meeting United States Coast Guard requirements when used as a replacement for part of a vessel's steel hull.
Laminated plastics per se, such as the ones used in the present invention, are known in the art and are somewhat described in materials obtained from Texstar, Inc. at P.O. Box 534036, 802 Avenue J. East in Grand Prairie, Tex., 75053.
Published materials regarding LEXAN brand of polycarbonate resin may be obtained from the General Electric Company Plastics Group at One Plastics Avenue, Pittsfield, Mass., 01201.